The Wall Street Journal dropped a bombshell of tablet and Apple-related information Wednesday evening. Among the new details: Apple sees its tablet as a device that will be shared by multiple family members -- and it might even recognize their faces.

The story reveals a great deal of alleged new information regarding Apple, including details on the Bing negotiations with Microsoft, the "iTunes.com" cloud-based service, TV subscriptions and more.

Reporters Yukari Iwatani Kane and Ethan Smith cited numerous sources familiar with the tablet in revealing that Apple intends to focus its tablet on providing content from multiple "old media" business sources, including textbooks, newspapers and television. Apple has reportedly pitched the tablet as a device that can be shared amongst family members and used for reading news and checking e-mail.

That sharing element, one person said, has been a major focus for Apple in creating the user interface for the device. Interaction with the hardware will be in such a manner that it is "intuitive to share."

"The person said that Apple has experimented with the ability to leave virtual sticky notes on the device and for the gadget to automatically recognize individuals via a built-in camera," the report said. "It's unclear whether these features will be included at launch."

In addition, the report shed more light on Apple's alleged plans to create a cloud-based iTunes service. Called iTunes.com, the service would allow customers to buy music without using the iTunes software. Apple reportedly wants to populate Web sites with "buy" buttons to make it even easier to purchase iTunes content. The Journal was told that Apple intends to launch the service by June.

The article also reaffirmed rumors that surfaced Wednesday that Apple was in talks with Microsoft to bring its Bing search service to its line of devices. But the Journal went one step further and said that Apple and Microsoft could partner for Bing maps as well.

Among other information stated in the Journal's article Wednesday:

The tablet will include a virtual keyboard for text input.
Apple wants to present traditional print content, like newspapers and magazines, "differently" on the device. The company envisions the device for use reading content both at home and in the classroom.
Game maker Electronic Arts is working with Apple on software to demonstrate the game-playing capabilities of the tablet.
As has been rumored for months, Apple is in negotiations with TV networks for a monthly subscription service. The plan would include a "best of TV" subscription for on-demand access to content. It would offer about four to six shows per channel.
Referring to traditional media companies, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was said to be "supportive of the old guard," a person who once worked with him told the Journal. Jobs allegedly wants to "help them by giving them new forms of distribution."

I just don't see this thing being a device you share with the family. Even if Apple intends it to be. We no longer live in the age of the family computer. We now live in the age of personal computers for everyone. Especially when we're talking about portable devices.

However if you're talking about a new system that allows people to share stuff between multiple tablets, that's another story. Like some kind of proximity system that can detect tablets near each other and pass files between them. Like passing a virtual piece of paper from one tablet to another by swiping it from one device to the one next to it. That would be very cool.

Brilliant... little Jimmie picks up the tablet and it automatically has his Power Rangers game and Nickelodeon website links right on the main menu. Dad picks up the tablet and "wosh"... 3D transition effect to show his stock quotes... etc. Leave it to Apple to think of using facial recognition to facilitate fast user switching.

So smart! These are lean times but people don't want to be tech poor (at least I don't). My wife and I share an iPod Touch but it ain't perfect. If they pull this off, I will be getting a tablet sooner rather than later.

Oh, and I know we all hate Bing but an Apple/MS partnership could be just the thing to shake google's dominance. I am not talking about tomorrow, but down the road. Apple could give MS a kick in the pants and a whole new lease on life. They sure do need something.

However if you're talking about a new system that allows people to share stuff between multiple tablets, that's another story. Like some kind of proximity system that can detect tablets near each other and pass files between them.

like in avatar where the guy just swiped something off the big screen onto his tablet and walked away, continuing his task without missing a beat. i want one of those!

I just don't see this thing being a device you share with the family. Even if Apple intends it to be. We no longer live in the age of the family computer. We now live in the age of personal computers for everyone. Especially when we're talking about portable devices.

However if you're talking about a new system that allows people to share stuff between multiple tablets, that's another story. Like some kind of proximity system that can detect tablets near each other and pass files between them. Like passing a virtual piece of paper from one tablet to another by swiping it from one device to the one next to it. That would be very cool.
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i would agree on both counts. I don't buy this multi-user thing. even from the WSJ. I think they are being pwn'd.

I think that how it's going to be linked to @TV, iPhone, and home computers is going to blow away all expectations and speculation of what its functionality is all about. We may all have been only describing discrete pieces of it, sort of similar to the "Blind Men and the Elephant" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_men_and_an_elephant).

I am now beginning to think that this could be massively envelope-pushing.

And, it will be called iSlate or Mac Touch (the latter, called by Ireland). Not iPad.

facial recognition would be amazing if it's implemented in such a way that it works seamlessly- quickly and without quirks or it risks being a gimmick with high hopes similar to the dedicated voice dialing app for the Iphone. To me, the tone of the rumors suggest that this will be something special. I am excited as I have put off replacing my G4 powerbook(only used for light computing) with the hopes that this device would come to fruition.

Brilliant... little Jimmie picks up the tablet and it automatically has his Power Rangers game and Nickelodeon website links right on the main menu. Dad picks up the tablet and "wosh"... 3D transition effect to show his stock quotes... etc. Leave it to Apple to think of using facial recognition to facilitate fast user switching.

Right- and little Jimie spills his Juicy Juice all over said iPad and then daddy cracks him upside the head and Apple gets sued for endangering children!

I wonder if this is a circuitous way of preparing the public for a higher-cost product than has been hoped for - $999 per person is nuts, but $999 for the "family" might be more marketable...

That was the first thing that came to mind the moment I read they were positioning this as a device to be shared by the family. This would be a clever way to soften the blow of a hefty price tag. In turn this could facilitate the inclusion of an expensive OLED display.

Interesting assertion by the WSJ. The wife and I were actually talking about this today. She wants one, but not all the time. Its going to be pricey ($900 minimum, God knows how many of the Queen's pounds) so we'll 'share'. I shall monopolise it naturally but its interesting that we genuinely did talk about this. My Kool Aid kup runneth over.

Brilliant... little Jimmie picks up the tablet and it automatically has his Power Rangers game and Nickelodeon website links right on the main menu. Dad picks up the tablet and "wosh"... 3D transition effect to show his stock quotes... etc. Leave it to Apple to think of using facial recognition to facilitate fast user switching.

Ooh! That sounds cool. Too bad everyone would be fighting over it!

Although the sharing aspect of it seems somewhat contradictory to the "curl up with a book" interaction that we've been hearing about. How do you market a product as both intimate and public? Do I throw it in my bag, or leave it on the kitchen counter? I suppose I currently do both with the newspaper. And will Apple provide a satisfactory way of cleaning the device, given that so many people will use it in the restroom?

I think that how it's going to be linked to @TV, iPhone, and home computers is going to blow away all expectations and speculation of what its functionality is all about. We may all have been only describing discrete pieces of it, sort of similar to the "Blind Men and the Elephant" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_men_and_an_elephant).

I am now beginning to think that this could be massively envelope-pushing.

And, it will be called iSlate or Mac Touch (the latter, called by Ireland). Not iPad.

Seems to me Apple just re-imagined Simplify Media and turned on the copy machine with their new farm.
They may have well re-imagined Netflix, XBox, and the many other devices that allow a heck of a lot for than what is proposed in this article.

It sounds like Apple is selling the Farm, hoping people will bite the forbidden fruit (plus Apple Tax).

Seems to me Apple just re-imagined Simplify Media and turned on the copy machine with their new farm.
They may have well re-imagined Netflix, XBox, and the many other devices that allow a heck of a lot for than what is proposed in this article.

It sounds like Apple is selling the Farm, hoping people will bite the forbidden fruit (plus Apple Tax).

You know, people are mostly talking about the tablet, not just the streaming iTunes thing.

They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.

I think that how it's going to be linked to @TV, iPhone, and home computers is going to blow away all expectations and speculation of what its functionality is all about. We may all have been only describing discrete pieces of it, sort of similar to the "Blind Men and the Elephant" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_men_and_an_elephant).

I am now beginning to think that this could be massively envelope-pushing.

And, it will be called iSlate or Mac Touch (the latter, called by Ireland). Not iPad.

Why I would love it to be called the "MacTouch", it would seem the rumors are that it might very well turn out to be iPad.
I can live with iPad because it is way better imo than iSlate. iSlate is just dumb.

The iPad makes sense. It reminds me of the Star Trek "PADD" devices from the TNG and later shows.
Do you guys realize that this device will actually be more powerful than the Star Trek PADDs?

honestly, i'm an apple fanboy, but this thing just sounds like a way to make me pay $1000 for the privilege of PAYING for what i can get FREE.

i don't pay to visit news websites [and when they start charging i'll go to those that don't]. i don't pay to watch network tv. i pay 19 bucks a month for unlimited video rentals, not 4 bucks a movie. i'm not subscribing to magazines on a tablet, i'm not repurchasing all of the music i've bought in the last 33 years so it can all sit in apple's cloud.

The only one I've been in for about a month. AI always deletes negative postings.

Where the heck do you think every posting Tech Stud ever made went to...

Apple's Island of Misfit toys?

Then why are your multiple postings saying pretty much what you're saying here still on the streaming iTunes thread? Why are there, at this moment, literally thousands of posts taking Apple to task for various kinds of failings? People get banned for a variety of reasons, but "saying bad stuff about Apple" isn't one of them. "Saying bad stuff about Apple" while being an insufferable prick and spamming half the threads on the board with irrelevant or incoherent snark is.

They spoke of the sayings and doings of their commander, the grand duke, and told stories of his kindness and irascibility.

Why I would love it to be called the "MacTouch", it would seem the rumors are that it might very well turn out to be iPad.
I can live with iPad because it is way better imo than iSlate. iSlate is just dumb.

The iPad makes sense. It reminds me of the Star Trek "PADD" devices from the TNG and later shows.
Do you guys realize that this device will actually be more powerful than the Star Trek PADDs?

It will look better than a maxi-Pad.
iSlate denotes something very primative- it must not have worked very well in focus groups.
iPad makes more sense because of the whole pad of paper connection.
I agree with the posters who state it shoud be called something off the wall like a Kindle or a Zune or a Cube.
Personally I prefer the iParallelogram.

honestly, i'm an apple fanboy, but this thing just sounds like a way to make me pay $1000 for the privilege of PAYING for what i can get FREE.

i don't pay to visit news websites [and when they start charging i'll go to those that don't]. i don't pay to watch network tv. i pay 19 bucks a month for unlimited video rentals, not 4 bucks a movie. i'm not subscribing to magazines on a tablet, i'm not repurchasing all of the music i've bought in the last 33 years so it can all sit in apple's cloud.

i don't know how this thing is going to succeed.

I agree- and only purchase from APples iTunes? That's what killed the ATV.
All this time we wanted a small formed Mac and get a large formed Touch instead?

The face identification/sharing stuff sounds like total BS to me. You have to remember that even the rumours that turn out to be true, are true stories told through a sort of fuzzy filter. Like the person who had the info was right, but the interpretation of what they were told is off-base. It even says in the story that it's "unclear if these features will be included at launch."

For starters, face recognition software just isn't that good. It works, it works pretty good, but it is no where near 100% outside of sci-fi movies and cop dramas. Everyone always talks about voice control also, but it's neither of these techs are really useful until they works 100% of the time and that last 20% always seems impossible.

Additionaly, the idea of sharing a device like this makes it sound like the purpose of the device is media consumption only. That's great, but completely at odds with the sort of traveling journal or writing pad, or netbook replacement of last weeks rumours. Not many people *share* devices, despite the story of the man above who shares his iPod with his wife. Even if they do share devices, who would do any writing on the thing if half the time your partner or your kid is going to be using it? I know many more couples that have no idea what is on their partners computer, than I do couples that share a single computer.

It just sounds ridiculous to me and I hope they are dead wrong about it. I want a netbook replacement type computer that I can use to create things, not a passive shared, robotic television/book/magazine.

Then you are the foolish one. Continue to drink the Kool Aid and believe all the rumors posted here. You will never have Flash on the iPhone, MaxIPad or any other device that Apple puts out as long as Steve Jobs is CEO. The event is tomorrow. Tell me if I'm wrong tomorrow when everyone has the update for now it's another Steve Jobs hype story.

How could one person be so uninformed and yet proclaim to be the keeper of all knowledge?

On the 27th Steve Jobs will ride out on stage on a white unicorn while trumpeters proclaim his entrance. And on each arm will rest two mighty iTablet computers.

Upon seeing this incredible sight tech geeks in the crowd will scream while others faint.
Steve Ballmer, who was invited to the show, looks at the tablets and becomes so devastated that he spontaneously bursts into flames!

On the 27th Steve Jobs will ride out on stage on a white unicorn while trumpeters proclaim his entrance. And on each arm will rest two mighty iTablet computers.

Upon seeing this incredible sight tech geeks in the crowd will scream while others faint.
Steve Ballmer, who was invited to the show, looks at the tablets and becomes so devastated that he spontaneously bursts into flames!

Apple could give MS a kick in the pants and a whole new lease on life. They sure do need something.

Boy, 13 years ago it was the other way around. Funny how things change. Although, I think MS still has enough money to not need Apple the way Apple needed MS back then.

Perhaps this is what Bing needs, is a little touch of genius from Apple. Apple wouldn't need to make a new search engine, they could just fix what MS can't figure out: ease of use and relevancy. MS could handle the popularity (they are already marketing it and jam it down everyone with IE 8's throats), Apple to handle the backend and smarts. Competition is good for everyone.